Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause a substance to become volatile; to convert into vapor: This refers to the process of making a solid or liquid substance evaporate or pass off into the air as a gas or vapor, often through the application of heat or a chemical reaction.

Usage

The verb "volatilise" (also spelled "volatilize") is used in scientific and technical contexts, particularly in chemistry, physics, and engineering. It describes the action of inducing a phase change from a solid or liquid state to a gaseous state. It is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (the substance being volatilised).

Examples

• Verb:
  • The intense heat from the furnace will volatilise the impurities in the metal.
  • In this experiment, we aim to volatilise the solvent to isolate the pure compound.
  • Certain chemicals can volatilise at room temperature, posing an inhalation hazard.

Advanced Usage

• "to be volatilised": to be converted into vapor.
  • The ammonium salt was completely volatilised during the heating process.
• "volatilising agent": a substance that promotes or causes volatilisation.
  • Hydrochloric acid can act as a volatilising agent for some metal chlorides.

Variants and Related Words

• Volatilize (verb): The preferred spelling in American English, identical in meaning to "volatilise".
  • The procedure is designed to volatilize the sample for analysis.
• Volatilisation / Volatilization (noun): The process or instance of volatilising.
  • The volatilisation of the fuel was necessary for efficient combustion.
• Volatile (adjective): Evaporating rapidly at normal temperatures; easily vaporized.
  • Gasoline is a highly volatile liquid.

Synonyms

• Evaporate: To change from a liquid to a vapor. (Note: "Evaporate" is more general, while "volatilise" often implies a deliberate or induced process.)
• Vaporize: To convert into vapor, often through heat.
• Sublime: To transition directly from a solid to a gas without passing through a liquid phase. (A specific type of volatilisation.)

Related Phrases

• "to volatilise off": to remove by causing to vaporize.
  • The chemist volatilised off the excess reagent under a stream of nitrogen gas.

Verb

1. make volatile; cause to pass off in a vapor